Amongst the compounds of formula (I), as defined below, a few are known. In particular, all the compounds wherein the dotted line represents a double bond have been previously described for various purposes such as chemical intermediates (for example: α-butylidene-benzeneacetonitrile has been reported by S. I. Murahashi et al. in Synlett, 2000, 1016). However, none of the prior art documents disclosing a compound of formula (I) reports or suggests any organoleptic properties of the invention's compounds, or any use of these compounds in the field of perfumery.
The compounds described in EP application 682010 or in U.S. Pat. No. 6,069,125 are the known perfuming ingredients having the closest structure to the invention's compounds. However, the invention's compounds not only differ from the prior art compounds in their chemical structure but also in the organoleptic properties which are, in the case of the prior art, of the of the marine or rosy-fruity (sweet) type. Nowhere in these two patents there is a suggestion of any usefulness of the invention's compounds in the field of perfumery, and even less of any organoleptic properties of the present compounds.